Memory is nowadays divided in time and contents-based subdivisions and it is assumed that different brain regions participate in the processing of different forms of memory. Until recently it was emphasized that anterograde and retrograde memories are strongly linked so that a loss of the ability to form new memories is accompanied by an impairment in the retrieval of old memories. Results from a few recent case reports show that selective retrograde amnesia may occur. In addition, case descriptions of so-called psychogenic amnesics, who have a selective inability to retrieve memories from their personal past, exist since long. The present review emphasizes that common mechanisms may underlie these two forms of retrograde amnesia. It is suggested that a blockade, disruption, or disconnection mechanism affecting access to (or the 'ecphory' of) stored engrams is the principal basis for retrograde amnesia.